154 TRANSACTIONS OF THE ILLINOIS 



six years, on most favorable soil. Of these seedlings about one-tenth were 

 killed from under the trees. I have also seen, during the past summer, 

 both on my own grounds and on the high prairies, thousands of Morello 

 stocks, and Mahaleb stocks, in bud, in rows adjacent, with not one of the 

 Mahaleb killed by the past winter, while from one half to all of the Mo- 

 rello stocks were killed, root and top. I have had eighteen years' experi- 

 ence with the Mahaleb as a stock, and during this period have never 

 known a tree on it killed by severe cold, old or young, out of tens of 

 thousands grown, handled and planted. The old trees even blossomed 

 and bore fruit the past season, on my ground, on the most exposed 

 situation. I knozv that on well drained, sandy loam, and on dry silicious 

 clays, the Mahaleb, as a stock, is fully hardy ; but am free to admit that 

 on some soils it may not stand. I find that seedlings of the Morellos are 

 many of them quite tender, fully as much or more so than Mazzard 

 cherry seedlings. Now there are gentlemen here maintaining that suck- 

 ers from the common Morello are fully hardy. May not this conflicting 

 testimony all be explained, Mr. President, by the fact that, as I well 

 know, some neighborhoods may have varieties of the common Morello 

 that are hardy ? We have three distinct varieties in my neighborhood, 

 showing different degrees of ability to withstand cold. 



Mr. Nelson — All the trees I had stood up very well last spring. I 

 had heard about this matter of the Morello, and that was the reason I 

 made inquiry. I have not heard of a dozen but what lived and did well, 

 with the exception of these. It seems that in most neighborhoods they 

 did not grow well, while in my neighborhood they have grown well. I 

 have taken particular pains to inquire after the matter, and satisfy myself 

 They have done well, although they were discolored. 



Mr. Mann — I have about loo Early Richmond on Morello stocks — 

 all of which gave me good crops last season. I did not see one of them 

 that was injured by the winter. I had a few thousands of sapling Morel- 

 los, that were so badly injured that I plowed them up. 



Mr. Dunning — I have had some experience with the Morello stocks, 

 having many acres, from which I have raised fruit for market. In Cook 

 county, there are many thousand acres covered with cherry trees. To be 

 sure, there were some few died, but there were very few more Morellos 

 died than there did last year. The old orchards produced more fruit than 

 the younger ones, and some of them produced crops of as fine cherries as 

 we ever marketed. We are looking to have a large crop the coming 

 season. 



